Huion Kamvas 16 (2021) Review: A Solid, Affordable Mid-Level Graphics Tablet

Huion Kamvas 16 (2021) Review

The Huion Kamvas 16 is a pen display tablet that connects to a desktop, laptop or phone; it is not a standalone tablet device, does not run its own OS, and does not have touchscreen functionality. Huion is one of several competitors to the longtime industry leader in the pen display category, Wacom, and offers a range of models from very low-cost entry-level non-display tablets (pen input only) to high-end professional equipment that compares to the Wacom Cintiq Pro series. The Kamvas 16 (2021) sits in the middle of the lineup, technically consumer rather than professional quality, but with enough features and power to satisfy hobbyists, students, and artists on a budget.

The 15.6-inch screen size is ideal for most digital art applications: large enough to provide space for the canvas and the application interface but small and light enough to rest on your lap or drop into a carry bag. At this size, the 1920×1080 (full HD) resolution is fine, and the device does not feel too small for the fat, comfortable, battery-free PW-517 stylus (included). And the price is right: you can find it for under $300 at most retail outlets. This is the next intro paragraph.

What we like

Pros

• Clear, crisp and bright display
• Responsive, comfortable stylus
• Form factor: size, weight and aspect
• Programmable quick-access buttons
• Simple, useful stand

The Huion Kamvas 16 gets the big stuff right. The stylus offers the standard 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt, capable of capturing the subtleties necessary to do quality, precise digital artwork. It has a nice thickness and feels good in the hand, but is a tad lightweight.

One drawback of low-priced tablets is that the lines tend to “wiggle” due to the imprecision of the hardware. This was barely noticeable in the Huion Kamvas 16 and can be fixed by adjusting the stabilization settings in most software packages. Overall, I enjoyed the drawing experience.

The laminated screen is bright, crisp and clear, and minimizes the parallax effect so there is hardly any gap between the tip of the stylus and the mark made on the screen. It can display 16.8 million colors The screen itself has a nice matte finish that feels more natural than hard glass, but lacks the tooth and texture you might find on other models. The display is easy on the eyes and works well in most lighting conditions short of direct sunlight.

The 16-inch size is large enough to run art applications like Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint and Rebelle, which use a fair amount of real estate for menu bars and other controls. Even with the interface active, there is plenty of drawing surface. The full HD resolution is fine at this size, and it means that application buttons and menus are not too small or hard to control.

The device itself is about the size of a standard sketchbook. At about 2.6 pounds, it is portable enough to take to a life drawing session or coffee shop (if you also bring your laptop, Android phone or tablet), and it can sit as comfortably in your lap as on a desktop. The included lightweight adjustable stand can prop it up at a good drawing angle.

The Huion Kamvas includes 10 quick access buttons that run down the side that can be programmed to universal or application-specific keystrokes using the configuration utility. The stylus has two buttons along the shaft that toggle erase mode (there’s no eraser on the stylus itself) or move the canvas around. These are also user-programmable.

The overall performance, feel, and form compare favorably to the Wacom One ($400 for the 12-inch non-touch model or $600 for the 13-inch touch screen) at a much lower price.

What could be improved

Cons

• Custom cable connectors
• Non-intuitive setup and configuration
• Lack of touch functionality
• Poor documentation

My favorable impression using the Huion Kamvas 16 came only after an hour of painful setup and configuration, owing to a few unnecessary design decisions that Huion should address on the next version of this device.

The Kamvas 16 has two means of connecting to a desktop or laptop: a 3-way connection (USB-C into the tablet that splits into 2x USB 3.0 and an HDMI connection to the host device) or USB-C to USB-C 3.1 for devices that support it. There is also a USB power charger block to supplement USB-C ports that don’t provide power, such as on phones or some tablets. As my desktop PC has a USB-C port capable of driving an external monitor, that seemed like the easiest option.

The USB-C to USB-C cable included with the Huion Kamvas is only 3 feet long, not enough to reach from the back of my PC to a comfortable spot on my desk. No matter, I thought, I have a bunch of longer cables sitting around that I could use. But it turns out that both USB-C connections on the Huion Kamvas 16 are recessed in such a way that a standard cable will not reach the port.

The only ones that do reach those connectors are the inconveniently short cables that come with the device. Please, please make the recessed indentations around the connection ports just a bit larger on the next model, or provide a longer cable! [Note: I shaved some plastic from a longer cable and was able to make it work with the Kavnas 16].

Once I got the Huion Kamvas 16 connected, the device powered on but then immediately went into power-saving mode. It turns out I needed to change the default configuration of my USB-C port in my system BIOS so it would connect properly. I don’t know if this is my problem or Huion’s problem, but it did not make a user-friendly first impression.

The next hurdle to clear is one that affects about 15% of the population, including myself. The default screen configuration has quick access buttons running along the left edge of the screen: perfect for people who hold the stylus in their right hand but not so much for lefties.

It turns out it is possible to rotate the screen so the buttons run down the right, but it is a two-step process involving the Huion configuration utility and the Windows display settings. The instructions for this were not included in the extremely spare documentation but turned up when searching the manufacturer’s website: another uninviting first-time user experience.

Besides these one-time inconveniences, the only big missing feature on the Huion Kamvas 16 (2021) is touch. For a screen this size, you really need the ability to pinch and zoom and navigate around a larger drawing easily, as you get on even low-end Android and iOS tablets. The zoom buttons on the bezel and the button on the stylus that mirrors the “space” command (used to navigate around the canvas in many drawing apps) is a poor substitute when we are so used to having touchscreens on most of our devices. Even if this adds $100 to the price, it would deliver greater value and not make users feel like they are missing something. 

Huion Kamvas 16 (2021): The bottom line

If you can live with a few compromises, particularly the lack of touchscreen capabilities, the Kamvas is an excellent tool for digital artists of all levels. The screen, stylus and overall performance are great for the price, and if you look hard enough, most of the challenges around setup and configuration have solutions.

Huion provided the Kamvas 16 (2021) for review. Images courtesy of Huion unless otherwise noted.

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